Amazon.com Essentials:
Al Pacino plays a Maryland lawyer who takes on a judicial
system rife with dealmaking in this awkward blend of satire and
sentimentality. Topical director Norman Jewison can't seem to help
Pacino get comfortable with the mismatched material, which pushes the
film into outrageousness at some turns and mawkishness at others. The
script by Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin is more an accumulation of
random ideas and moments than a congruent story. However, it's
interesting to see the large cast of good actors, most of whom hadn't
become well known yet. (Christine Lahti made her film debut here.)
Pacino gets to work for a second time (following The Godfather II)
with acting mentor Lee Strasberg. --Tom Keogh
